Spinning Gold
by andyrewr
Summary: Cora Makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin


Rumpelstiltskin

Once upon a time there was a poor miller who had a beautiful daughter. One day he was summoned to speak before the king, to make him sound important he told the king, he told the king that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold. The king was impressed and ordered him to bring her to his palace the following day, and that he would put her to the test.

The girl was brought to the palace and the guards escorted her to a room full of straw and a wheel and spool, the guard told her to get to work and that if she wasn't finished by morning, she would be set to death. The guard left the room and locked the door, leaving her alone. The miller's daughter didn't know what do; she panicked and started to cry. As if on cue, the door opened and a dark hooded man crept in and said, "Greetings Young Cora, why are you crying on this fine evening?"

"Alas," answered the girl, "I have to spin straw into gold, and I do not know how to do it."

"I could do it for you," the Dark One giggled, "but you must know that all magic comes with a price!"

"My locket?" offered the girl.

The Dark One took the locket, sat in front of the wheel, giggled, and spun the wheel three times. When the wheel was full, he put another on and spun it another three times and the second was full too. This went on all through the night, and by morning, all the straw had been spun into gold.

The Dark One left, and then as if on cue, the king entered. He was in awe, which only made him hunger for more. He personally escorted her to a larger room full of straw, and ordered that she finish this room also. The girl panicked once again, not knowing what else to do, and so she cried. The dark one appeared once again and asked "What are you willing to pay this time, Cora?"

"This ring." answered the girl.

The Dark One took the ring, and once again spun the wheel, and by morning all the straw had been spun into gold.

The king was ecstatic, but his greed remained unsatiated. He took Cora to a much larger room and said "you must spin this one last wheel tonight; if you succeed you shall be my wife."

After the king had left the room the Dark One entered and said "hello Dearie, what are you willing to pay this time?"

"I have nothing left to give" answered the girl.

"Then I require a promise" he said "if you should become queen, you must give me your first born"

That would never happen, Thought Cora, and not having any other option she agreed, and the Dark One had spun the straw into gold and disappeared.

Then when the king had come in that morning, his greed was finally satisfied, he had taken her as his wife, making Cora the queen.

A year had passed and Cora had brought a beautiful baby girl into the world, and named her Regina. The Dark One entered the room and said "I am here to collect what was promised to me." Queen Cora was Struck with horror, and offered the Dark One all the riches in the kingdom. But the Dark One replied "No, the love of a child is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world."

Cora began to cry, it seemed as if the Dark One pitied her, or had another plan in mind. "I will return in three days" he said "if you discover my name, then you may keep your child, for a price."

So the next three days, the queen thought of all the names she had ever heard and questioned everyone in the kingdom. When the Dark One returned, she started listing all the names one by one but the Dark One replied in a cheery manner "that's not my name." Then she started listing the more bizarre and uncommon names that were collected from the surrounding towns. But with every name he giggled and shook his head "no, that's not my name." The messenger came in the room and told the queen he scoured all the surrounding kingdoms but could not find a single name that wasn't on her list. But then one of her scouts whispered to the queen that there was a man in a cabin deep in the forest, inside was a man dancing about chanting;

_Tonight I dance, tomorrow ready a room_

_Soon I'll have this young queen's child,_

_He-he! No one knows,_

_Thy name be Rumpelstitskin,_

"_Now Cora, Dearie, what is my name?"_

_First she'll ask, "is your name Rush?"_

"_No," I'll say, "that's not my name!"_

_Then all the names, she will list,_

_And finally the words will come,_

"Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?" Cora asked, at last.

"Te-he! Yes! That's my name! I was afraid you would never figure it out!" he giggled and smiled at the queen. The queen was utterly confused. Rumpelstilstkin whispers the real deal into the Queen's ear, and he gives her the power to do the dead.

One day, this child, this Regina, would bring back to him the one thing that mattered most. One day, he would have it all. And so he danced off singing a new chant.


End file.
